


Reconciliation

by infectedscrew



Category: Batman (Comics), DCU (Comics)
Genre: Angst, Confessions, Emotional Constipation, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-08
Updated: 2016-05-08
Packaged: 2018-06-07 02:27:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,676
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6781705
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/infectedscrew/pseuds/infectedscrew
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Prompt: Reconciling then getting together after Bruce’s return from the timestream. Dick owes Tim an apology and Tim needs to make his feelings about the situation known. And both need to confess.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Reconciliation

The room couldn’t have felt more awkward if it tried.

Since Bruce had returned, no one had had the chance to sit down and talk. Despite the great need to, so many other things had popped up that demanded more attention. It wasn’t until Alfred finally called for a family dinner that everyone managed to even be in the same house.

Considering how most relationships had been in the last year, that probably wasn’t the best idea.

Still everyone had come willingly.

Dinner had passed well enough. Just a few digging comments from Damian and one or two snaps from Jason to report. Dessert followed peacefully. Then again, Alfred’s blueberry cheesecake was always sure to stop wars. It was when they moved into the study for coffee that things got uncomfortable.

Someone had the brilliant idea to stick Dick and Tim on the same couch.

Tim had successfully pushed himself to the opposite end of the couch without falling off; yet he still looked like he’d rather be sitting farther away.

“Well, Cass and I need to get up early tomorrow, so we’re heading out,” Stephanie announced, hauling out of her seat.

Cass only gave a slight nod, following the blonde’s actions.

Bruce nodded to them. “I still wish to have a meeting tomorrow night. Do not be late.”

“Sure, sure. You coming Babs?”

Barbara sighed. She set her coffee cup on the side table. “Yeah, I’ve been away from my computer long enough.” She pushed her chair forward, pausing by Dick briefly. She squeezed his knee, giving him a brief supportive look. “Good luck on patrol.”

The girls left and not long after Jason decided the silence was going to drive him up the wall.

“I’m out,” he stated, standing up and heading toward the door.

“Jason,” Bruce called. “Remember what I said about the East End.”

“Yeah, I got it the first twenty times you said it. Remember what I said and we shouldn’t have any problems,” Jason returned, closing the door behind him.

Damian’s cup clinked lightly against his saucer. He was visibly annoyed. He’d been watching Dick and Tim pointedly avoid each other most of the night. To him their actions were childish and moronic. “Father,” he said a little too loudly for the tense room.

Bruce looked up from his paper. He hadn’t noticed the tension; most likely never would.

“Grayson informed me that there are parts of the Cave that only you are privvy to. I wish to see them.”

“Another time, Damian.”

Damian cleared his throat sharply and pointedly. “No, father. Now.”

Bruce frowned at him, folding the paper over his knee. “Damian, I said another time.”

Damian’s eyes narrowed.

Tim watched Bruce only, expression rather fixed. He knew that if he looked to the right Dick would cross his field of vision. Lord only knew what would happen if he finally accepted that Dick was seated next to him. In his mind he was deeply afraid that he would shout things like ‘I told you so’.

Dick switched between the father and son. His throat was tight, heart thudding hard all night. He was just waiting for Tim to snap at him. To explain in perfect detail just how right he’d been and how wrong Dick was.

“Father…” Damian pulled in a breath. “Please?”

Bruce regarded him, the situation and Damian’s rather serious expression finally sinking in. “All right.” He stood, setting the paper aside. “Come on, then.”

For two people who were determined to look as graceful and deadly as possible, they practically sprinted from the room.

Tim and Dick were left in silence.

“I should go–”

“Tim, we need to talk–”

Tim’s hand tightened over his knee. “Maybe later.”

“No, Tim. Please, can we talk now?”

Tim stared at the coffee table as if blaming it for all his problems. Which was healthier than blaming another person, he decided. “Okay.”

Dick gave a tiny sigh of relief. “I want to apologize.”

“For what?”

“For being a dick.”

“Is that a joke?”

Dick shook his head. “Maybe a bad one. But I’m serious. I was pretty bad to you. I should have trusted you and I didn’t. I should have listened to you when you talked about Bruce. You have to admit it would have been hard to believe but I should have tried. You had every right to be mad at me. But I still need to say sorry.”

Tim’s nails dug through the fabric of his pants, pricking against his skin. This was wrong. That wasn’t why he was so upset. It was more than Bruce. It was more than trusting one another. Why didn’t Dick understand?

“Tim, come on, talk to me.”

Dick reached over, hesitating to squeeze his shoulder. He finally opted not to, pulling his hand back.

“You’re wrong, Dick,” Tim answered so quietly it might not have even been said.

“What?”

“You’re wrong,” Tim continued, staring at the table, refusing to look up. He was so still, like a morose statue. “I wasn’t mad because you didn’t believe me. That was only a small fraction. I was mad because you tossed me aside–”

“I thought we got over the Robin-thing,” Dick sighed, exasperated.

“This has nothing to do with Robin!” Tim snapped, head jerking up and eyes gluing to Dick. “I got that. I understand that part now. Dick, I was crushed. When you spoke it sounded like you never wanted to see me again. Then you didn’t believe me and it was just another bullet to the list of 'Reason why Dick hates me’.”

Dick stared, mouth hanging open slightly. “Tim… I don’t hate you.”

“I thought you did!” Tim had to keep talking. If he didn’t he’d bottle it all up again and it’d never get out. “I thought you’d finally figured it out and were disgusted. That you’d finally learned and now you wanted nothing to do with me.”

Dick’s jaw clicked shut, confusion setting in. “Learned what?”

“You mean… You mean you don’t know?”

Dick shook his head. “I mean, if you told me, I might know.”

Tim swallowed, looking back to the table. “I… You. It. No, it doesn’t matter.”

“Tim, yeah it does. If it influenced every choice you made or you thought I made in the past year… That’s kind of a big deal. Is it the spleen thing? Because that’s silly. I wouldn’t hate you for that.”

Tim made a strangled noise in his throat. “No, it wasn’t the spleen thing. I thought–I thought you finally figured out my feelings.”

“Feelings? About what?” Dick leaned forward, trying to catch Tim’s gaze. It was pretty much impossible.

“About you,” Tim murmured. “The way I feel about you.”

“And how do you feel about me?” Dick asked, a little frustrated that he wasn’t getting the information faster.

Tim pulled in a deep breath. “Dick I was mad and afraid that you finally figured out I love you.”

Dick’s confusion was only mounting. “I already knew that. I love you too.”

Tim groaned, wanting to tear his hair out. “No, not like that! Like more than brothers. I mean… Gross. Not…” He hit his leg in anger. “I love you, like I want to date you. I want to be with you the rest of my life and in the most intimate way possible,” he finally spat out, stomach jumping to his throat.

Dick’s eyes widened. He dropped into silence. His mind blanked, thoughts returning sluggishly. He didn’t know what to do with that. He’d known Tim long enough that emotions that strong weren’t going to die and were on the intimidating end of the spectrum. Dick didn’t think anyone had ever cared about him that much, it was almost scary.

And yet, perfectly wonderful.

“Tim… No, I didn’t know.”

Tim shrugged, shutting himself off. “It’s fine. Now you do and we can go back to what we had before.”

Dick huffed. “Don’t do that.”

“Do what?”

“That. What you’re doing now. You’re going to pretend nothing has happened and hope I’ll do the same. But you’ll go home every night worried sick and miserable.” Dick moved close, dropping a hand onto Tim’s thigh. “At least give me a chance to answer.”

“Do I want to know the answer?”

Dick tilted forward again to catch Tim’s eyes. He smiled when he succeeded. “I think you do.”

Tim’s expression was carefully neutral.

“You feel things far different than I do. You take forever to reach a conclusion, but once you do it’s there for life,” Dick started, not losing his smile and never letting go. “I’m not like that. I almost have to throw myself into it before I know how I feel.”

Tim’s shoulders were slumping. He knew were this was going and he didn’t like it.

“But I do know that you have been one of the most constant things in my life. I’ve counted on you for a very long time. It wasn’t until Bruce died and you left me that I realized just how much I counted on you.”

Tim kept his gaze on Dick, still waiting. His throat felt swollen shut and he was sure that if he didn’t breathe soon he was going to pass out.

“This conversation now has just shown me how much I love you.”

“Like a brother,” Tim edged out.

Dick shook his head. “No. As more than that. I can’t promise you forever. You know I’m not like that.”

Tim nodded, looking miserable.

“But I want to try for as long as possible and in the most intimate way.” Dick’s hand squeezes slightly.

Tim swallowed multiple times. “You… You do?”

Dick nodded. “I do. I can’t lose you again Timmy. I love you too much for that.”

Tim felt every muscle in his body suddenly melt. He made a rather broken noise for someone who had just gotten good noise. “Oh God… Dick.”

Dick chuckled. He gathered Tim up in his arms, holding him close and tight. “I love you, Tim. No matter what happens.”


End file.
